ST. PAUL — A 19-year-old college student from Howard Lake has been crowned the 62nd Princess Kay of the Milky Way.

Kyla Mauk, who represented Wright County, won the title in a ceremony Wednesday night at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. Her first official duty will be to sit for nearly six hours on Thursday, the opening day of the State Fair, to have her likeness sculpted from a 90-pound block of butter.

She will serve for the next year as the official goodwill ambassador for nearly 3,500 Minnesota dairy farm families.

Mauk attends South Dakota State University, where she is studying agriculture education. Eleven other county dairy princesses from across the state competed with her for the title.

Kylee Fernholz, representing Douglas County, and Ellen Sheehan, representing Olmsted County, were the runners-up.

McKinzie Smith, 21, of Adams was Mower County’s representative.